Vintage Vantage Anamorphic

We’ve heard much about anamorphic and vintage lenses lately. Why not combine both?

HAWK VINTAGE´74 Anamorphic 2x lenses were shown at Cinec a few weeks ago. The set currently includes V-Lite 28, 35, 45, 55 ,65, 80, 110, and 140 mm — with more to come.

The new Hawk Vintage ’74 lenses provide the lower contrast, chromatic characteristics and flares of older, 1970s anamorphic lenses—with precise, modern mechanics and the sharpness and consistency of current, modern Hawk lenses.

Cinematographers who seek the signature 1970s look, complete with low contrast, flares, color aberrations and other “flaws,” can now achieve that look with lenses that incorporate state-of-the-art optics and mechanics that work seamlessly with the latest accessories.

Peter Martin and Wolfgang Baumler, Managing Directors of Vantage, explained, “We understand that these so-called defects are tools used by cinematographers to subtly communicate a certain feeling or mood to the audience.

For example, some of these older lenses, prized for beauty work, deliver a low contrast image with creamy skin tones. With today’s glossy digital formats, the right lens can add a certain authenticity or aesthetic to the image by way of these traits, which in many cases were originally limitations – flares, reflections, certain contrast and color characteristics.

Our idea was to update these lens traits, making these imaging tools available in a lens that comes with all the upgrades in design and ease of use that camera crews have come to depend on over the last 40 years. We researched the types and methods of coating used in lenses from the 1970s.

“Modern optics meant that our recipe varied from the older lenses, which often used only one or two layers of coatings. Modern coating techniques often employ as many as 14 layers. After two years of tests, we arrived at a combination of coatings and lens elements that achieves our goal: a thoroughly modern lens that delivers the recognizable patina of those films we love from the 1970s.”

The Hawk Vintage´74 Lenses are compatible with motor-driven follow focus devices, clip-on matteboxes, and other contemporary accessories. The lenses have clear focus and iris marks. They are more durable, and more resistant than actual 1970s lenses were. They withstand the physical punishment of today’s far-flung shipping and production realities. And, should they need repair or replacement, their up-to-date design makes it possible – not always the case with older, 70s-era lenses.

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